1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for automatically resending messages based on server status.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern computing technology has resulted in immensely complicated and ever-changing environments. The Internet is a global network of computers and networks joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol of the sending network to a protocol used by the receiving network. On the Internet, any computer may communicate with any other computer with information traveling over the Internet through a variety of languages, also referred to as protocols. The set of protocols used on the Internet is called transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP).
The Internet has revolutionized communications and commerce, as well as being a source of both information and entertainment. For many users, email is a widely used format to communicate over the Internet. The existence and continued acceptance and use of the Web and the Internet have resulted in many new and useful applications becoming available to users of the Internet. One useful and popular application that most everyone with access to the Internet uses is electronic mail (email). Email is an electronic message sent over connections between data processing systems on a network. Email allows for a method of personal communication without requiring face-to-face contact. An email account allows a user to communicate a message to an intended email recipient. This type of communication is available even if the recipient has a different service provider than the sender. Email is typically based on a standard communication protocol that allows the communication of messages between individuals that may have different service providers. Email allows communication across the different communication protocols using only the recipient's email address.
Many email servers maintain user space quotas. These quotas limit the amount of storage that a user is allowed to take up for storing email. For most businesses with large storage capacities and for individual users who typically receive very small email, this is not usually much of an issue. However, for the growing number of small businesses who are becoming more and more expected to handle email as part of their everyday business, ensuring a constant “online” status while managing expenses can be a challenge. For example, most customers now expect everyone from their lawn service provider to bakery to have a website and/or email contact information.
Additionally, many email senders are frustrated when a message is “bounced back” or otherwise returned. For many people communicating via email, the process of having a message rejected is very frustrating. If the receiving party is unaware of the problem or not well trained regarding the different technologies, it might take some time before the quota or other problem is rectified. As a result, the sending party may have to either try continuously to manually resend the email or use some other method of communication to notify the receiver. In either way, the process of ensuring that the receiving party receives the necessary communication may be both frustrating and time consuming.